Sales tax revenues continue to slide

Sales tax revenues continued a downward trend in August with year-to-date Eunice revenues off 0.7 percent from a year ago and St. Landry Parish total revenues dropping 2.7 percent, according to the St. Landry Parish School Board Sales Tax Division.
Eunice sales tax revenues from January to August were $3,554,518, down $24,395 from the same period in 2015. The city’s sales tax revenues were greater this year than last in January and April.
August revenues in Eunice were $401,571, down 1.6 percent from $408,120 in August 2015,
In St. Landry Parish, January through August revenues were $43,592,510, down $1,223,520 from $44,816,080 in 2015, Sales tax revenues have been down every month except April this year compared to last year.
August parish revenues were $5,078,510, down 6.3 percent from $5,420,556 in August 2015.
In Eunice, sales tax revenues dropped from $459,112 in July to $401,571 in August — a 12.5 percent decline. In 2015, July sales tax revenues were $475,637, which dropped 14 percent to $408,120 in August.
St. Landry Parish’s total sales tax in July was $5,931,681 and dropped to $$5,078,510 in August — a 14.4 percent decrease.
The parish sales tax total includes parish, school, solid waste, law enforcement and municipal taxes.
The sales tax rate in Eunice is 10.75 percent. Of that 5 percent is state, 3.55 percent is parish and 2.2 percent is city.
Unincorporated areas pay a 10.5 percent sales tax revenue, which includes 5 percent state and 5.5 percent parish rates.
On April 1, the state sales tax rate rose by 1 percent.